Underframe for railway-cars.



G. B. ROBBINS L W- RfSHARP.

UNDERPRAME PORIRAILWAY GARS.. APPLwA-IION FILED mme. lgo.- l. 1 Y 966,054, v Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

1 SHIRTS-SHEET 1.v

G. B. ROBBINsWs. W. E. Smm.w

dUNDEBPRAM: .POB RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6, 1908.

Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

4 MEETS-sum1 2.

G.' B. ROBBINS & W. E. SHARPv UNDER-FRAME POR RAILWAY CARS..

APPLIoATIoN FILED JAN. 6,1908.

. Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

mms www m mm maman u'c,

G. B. ROBBINS & W. E. SHARP.

UNDBRFRAMB FOR RALWAY GARS.

APPLIoATIoN FILED JAN. s, 190e.

Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

.UNiTEn STAWENT OFFICE;

' GEORGE n. RoBBINs, or HINSDALE, AND WILLIAM n. SHARP, or CHICAGO, I'ILINoIs UNDERFRAME ron RAILWAY-cans. l f

i United States, residing, respectively, at

Hinsdale and Chicago, in the county of 1Cook andv State lof Illinois, have invented certain vnew and useful Improvements in Underframes for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to improvements in underframes for railway cars.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved steel underframe for wooden cars, a leading-,feature of the :invention residing in the provision oit novel means whereby a steel under-trame may be readily adjusted and adaptedv to fit car bodies wherein the distance between the body bolsters and the distance between the end sills of the car andthe adjacent body bolsters varies.

kAnother feature of the invention resides in a construction wherein the continuity of the body holsters is nmiutaiued and the lou-A gitudinal draft-sills are interrupted at the points where they are iutersected by the body holsters. with new and improved means of rigidly uniting the body bolsters I and draft-sills, consisting of top and bottom gusset-plates securely riveted to both,'the bottom gusset plate being apertured to accommodate the center bearing.'

A further feature of improvement resides in a novel. construction of steel'butfer block and draft-arm (representing that portion of the draft-sill lying between the end of the car and the adjacent body bolster) provided .with upstanding lugs or flanges embracing the end sill and bolted tothe Our invention willv be readily understood when'considered in connectionv with the .accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a top plan View of a steel underframe adapted for use with wooden car bodieshaving our several improvements incorporated therein. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal median section of Fig. 1. Fig.

' 3 is across-section on the line 3 3 of 1. Fig. t is an enlarged planview of one end portion of the underframe, also showing the draft-rigging in plan. Fig. 5 is a verti'cal longitudinal median section of Fig. 4,

omitting the draft appliances. Fig. 6 is an end view of the buffer block as applied. to one end 'of the car body.- Fig. 7. is a crosssectional detail on the line 7 7. of Fig. 5.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

`are integral one-piece structures,

Figs. Sand 9 are cross-sectional views, on an enlarged scalepon'vtho'lines S-S and9--9 of F ig. l, looking-.in the direction indicated by -the arrows,'showing one'of the body holsters in Velevation from opposite sides. Figs. 10, 1i and 1Q are perspective details ot' ai filler block, in varying sizes, employed back "of the steel dra'fbarms to lengthen the same andy form a continuous connection between the forward end of the car and the front face ot'rfthe body bolster. Fig. 13 is a perspective-detail of another filler liiloclt, herein shown as having the form of anv angle iron adapted to be securely riveted to the ends of the steel channel underfsills lving between the body holsters and serving Patented Aug.` 2, l191e..

' Application filed January 6, 1908. Serial No. 409,458. v

to lengthen the latter to any extent required to accommodate4 variations indlstance bei* tween the body holsters of diiierent cars.

Referring first to the general views; Figs. i

l and 2, l designates the body bolsters-'whicln as shownfin Fig.' 5 and the detail views,

Figs. S and 9. are hollow members with top, bottom and .side walls made continuous trom end to end. and are' securely'bolted to the llongitiulinal)wollen sills of the car bottom shownl at 2, J and 4. 5 designates the parallel steel center or under-sills,.lierein shown as of channel. form, and which Vin practice are commonly made in a standard orfunifform length and. which lie between and connect the body bolsters. 6 designates the usual cross-bearersor needle-beams that intersect the "under-sills 5 at intermediate points between the body holsters, being secured thereto as by angle brackets 7. 8 des ignates the steel draft-arms that inpractice are bolted to the underfsides oft-he woodeny center sills 2 of the car body and accommodate by tie-rods 8a; and 5a designates sill-keys riveted' across the vtops of. the center-sills keying the latter to the wooden sills 2.

A strong and rigid connection between the body bolster A,1 and the adjacent ends of the under-sills 5 and by means of upper and lower `gusset-plates` 9 and 10, respectively. Both ofl these plates and .are Vof such dimensions ,as to' directly overand under-lie the 'body bolsters and considerably overlap the meeting ends of. the underand draft-arms, as clearly shown mFi'gs'; and 5. These gusset-plates are securely '.95 i between them the coupler and draft-rigging.V

.The draft arms are tied to the body bolster draft-arms 8 lying on opposite sides of said body .bolster 1s effected., t I

riveted both to the body bolster andto the under sills and draft-arms, as shown, 'and the lower gusset-plate is provided` with a substantially central opening 11, which may conveniently be punched therethrough, to accommodate the upper center bearing 12 (Fig. 5)which is formed directly on the bottom of the body bolster and preferably,

and* as,` herein shown,made integral there- Thedistance between the front face of the body bolster and the end ofl the car varies within a range of several inches inv diferent cars, especially old wooden cars which from time to time require to be refitted with underframes. The draft-arms 8 are economically manufactured in a standard or uniform length; and in order to render such standard draft-arms c apable of use on cars having the varying distances referred to between the front of the car and the forward face of the body bolster, we employ between the inner ends of the draft-arms and the 'front face of the body bolster filler blocks, which are made in a variety of thicknesses, as illustrated,

for example,'at 13, 13 and 13b in Figs. 10, l1 and 12, respectively. One of these filler blocks is simply interposed between the end of the draft-arm and the front face of thebolster; and in order to insure its retention in operative position without the necessity of special fastenings, we provide on the fory l, ward face of the block the dowels 14 that eni gage correspondingly located holes formed in thel inner end of the draft-arm. In this way, and by this'means, a standard length of draftarm may b e rendered adaptable to cars where in the bodybolster isset at distances from the end of the car varying within the limits of the filler blocks at hand. These cars likewise vary more or less in the distances between the body holsters, whereas the under sills 5 are economically and usually cut to standard lengths (26 feet, 2 inches). In

order to ada-pt such standard length of under sillsl te varying distances between body boisters4 we employ a similar principle as represented by a ller block of some- `what different form from that already described. This ller block 15, which is well shown in the perspective view Fig. 13, is

preferablyof an angle form, one limb. 15 thereof being provided with a plurality of rivet holes 16, whereby it may be riveted securely to one side (preferably the inner) of the channel under sill 5, and the other limb' 15b, which may vary in thickness as required by the space to be filled, lying across the end of the under sill and abutting against the inner face of the body bolster, as well shown in Fig. 8. A filler block of this form is used at one or both ends of the under sills 5, as :nay `be necessary, and constitutes a simple,

.el'licient, and convenient means for piecing for the endof th shown in Figs-4, 5 and 6, and comprisesl a is apertured,

that may be necessary injeach` particular case. p l

One other, fea-turefof our present invention resides in .an

car. This member is best metal casting having a rectangular central. buling frame 17 forming a guide and housing for the coupler shank, with sidewings 18 adapted to be l'secured by short bolts 19 to the ends of the 'draft-arms, and further having, on its upper side, an L-shaped ex-v tension, the vertical member 20 of which lies against the front face of theend sill 21 of the car, while its horizontal member 22 underlies saidend sill. On the. steel bufferblock 17 is cast, between the upper face of the latter and the outer face of the vertical member 2() of the extension, an upstanding rib or bracket 20a, the upper end of which as shown at 20", to form a bearing for the rod or'shaft ofthe usual uneoupling lever. On the draft-arms 8 are formed upstanding horns 8 that engage the rear side of the end sill 21, whereby the latter is snugly seated between said horns and the vertical member 20 of the projection of the butterblock. Throughbolts 23 engaging the members 2O and 8a and passing through the end sill ,'21

securely unite said parts, thus forming a strong backing and reinforcement for the buffer block and, through the latter and the horns 8', likewise forming a strong abutment for the draft-arms and an increasing strength of the connections between said draft-arms andthe superposed center sills of the car to which they are attached. Vertical bolts 23a unite the end sill to the forward ends of the draft-arms through the horizontal extension 22 of the buer casting.l

From theforegoing it will be apparent' that our invention provides a number of useful features in an underframe construction, especially adapting the latter to substitute and repair service in connection with car bodies, whether old or new, 'varying in respect to the relative locations of the body bolsters.

It is manifest that the exact details of construction herein shown and described may be varied without de arting from the spirit of the invention, an that features of the invention may be employed Without ,its adoption as an entirety.

le claim:

l. In an underframe construction for railway cars, the combination with a continuous body bolster' having Von its lower side" a center bearing, of draft-arms on one side of said bolster, center sills on the other side thereof, and top and bottom sset-plates overlapping and secured to saidlbdy bolster and the adjacent end portions of said draftarms and center sills, said lower gusset-plate proved steel buffer block being bearing.

2. In an underfraine construction for railway ears, the combination with a continuous body bolster, and a draft-arm, of a liller block interposed between the inner end of said draft-arm and the bolster.

3. In an underfralne construction for railway cars, the combination with a continuous body bolster and a draft-arm having holes in its inner end, of af filler block interposed between the inner end of said draft-arm and the bolster and hav-ing dowel-pins adapted to enter said holes-of the draft-arm.

4. In an underfranie construction for railway cars, the combination with a continuous body bolster, and a center sill, of a filler block, interposed between said bolster and the ad jacent end of said center sill.

5. In an linden-traine constriwtion for railway cars, the combination with a continuous body bolster, and a center sill, of an L-shaped block having one arm thereof riveted to said center ysill and the other arm extending across the end of said center sill and abutting against the side of said body bolster.

G. In an underframe construction for railway cars, the combination with an end sill v apertured toaccommodate said center and a draft-arm liz-wing an integral longitudinal upstanding projection with a transverse portion lying against the rear fare of said end sill, of a butler-block casting hav# ing an integral bufling frame forming guide and housing for the coupler shank and having an upstandng projection-therefrom engaging the front face of the end sill, and bolts tying together said projections through said end sill;

7. ln an underfralne construction for railway cars, the combination With an end sill and draft-ar1ns having integralupstanding longitudinal projections with transverse portions lying against the rear face of said end sill, of a bulIer-block casting having an integral bulfing frame forming a guide and housing for the coupler shank and an L shaped extension on its upper side, the vertical member of said 'extension lying against the front face ofV the end sill, and the horizontal member thereof lying against the under side of the end sill, bolts tying together said upstanding projections through said end sill, and bolts connecting the end sill and draftarms through the horizontal member of said buffer projection, substan.

tially as described.

GEORGE B. ROBBINS.

WILLIAM E. SHARP.

Witnesses I H. A. STEWART, W. C. COOK. 

